Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a collapsible optical reflective gun sight, also referred to as a reflex or a red-dot sight, for a firearm.
Discussion of the Related Art
Sighting systems can be mounted on small arms to assist the user in aiming and firing a projectile towards a target. Small arms may include a machine gun, rifle, shotgun, handgun, pistol, paint-ball gun, air gun, bow, cross-bow, and the like. The term firearm is used throughout this disclosure to denote any gun or small arm, including but not limited to those just described, that can benefit from the inclusion of the disclosed sight system used to increase shooting accuracy.
Well known, mechanical or iron sights typically include two components mounted and fixed at different locations on the firearm which are visually aligned with the line of sight of the user and the target. FIGS. 1A and 1B show a folding optical sight from U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,292 in the related art. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,292, FIG. 1A shows the flip-up rear mechanical sight folded down or closed and FIG. 1B shows the flip-up mechanical sight up and open, ready to be used in aiming the firearm.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, mechanical sights can be large, cumbersome to use, and include many moving parts. Thus, mechanical sighting systems can become misaligned from rough handling, impact, use, wear in the various components, or environmental effects. At longer distances, precise aiming at a target down range can take time.
To overcome problems with mechanical sights, optical sights or scopes are employed. Optical sights typically use optics to superimpose a pattern, reticle, or aiming point to assist in targeting. Many optical sights using reticles are telescopic for improved viewing and aiming precision at longer ranges. Typically, the time to acquire a target can be reduced using an optical sight, and accuracy can be improved.
In other optical sights, a laser pointer or external light-dot sight typically uses a laser diode to emit a beam parallel to the barrel of the firearm and illuminate a spot on the target. An external dot sight uses a laser pointer to project a laser beam directly onto the target leaving the illuminated “dot” on the target for acquisition. In this sight system, the illuminated dot can easily be seen. However, if the ambient light intensity is high or the target is farther away or not reflective, the user may have a hard time seeing or be unable to locate or identify the dot on the target as the ambient light may wash out the target dot. Increasing the intensity of the light source providing the dot in an attempt to overcome this washing out more quickly decreases the useful life of the battery used to power the light source.
Internal reflective sights overcome these problems. A reflective sight type is generally non-magnifying and allows the user to look though a glass element at the target and see a reflection of an illuminated aiming point superimposed on the target within the field of view. An internal reflective sight only uses a dot within the sight system where the dot is not projected onto the target, but only reflected back to the user. At the target, the internal dot is not visible and is not effected by ambient light. This allows for more covert use as those down range do not know a target is being acquired, and the projected dot does not give away a user's direction or location.
A typical configuration of a reflective optical sight of the related art is shown in FIG. 2A, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,806. FIG. 2B shows a side view of the reflective sight of FIG. 2A mounted on a handgun, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,806.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the related art optical sight protrudes above the top of the slide of the semi-automatic handgun. This increase in profile causes the firearm to become more cumbersome.
For example, the sight adds weight to the firearm. The location of the center of gravity of the related art sight can change the gun mechanics. Specifically, the related art sight can change the slide action and recoil of a handgun, thus increasing the possibility of jamming, premature wear, or other malfunction.
The bulky protrusion of the related art sight outside the original outline profile of the gun makes the handgun on which it is mounted harder to holster. An original holster may need modification or a new specially designed holster may be required to adequately accommodate the related art sight. Further, the related art sight may cause difficulty in drawing the handgun from the holster as it will be easier to catch the sight on an article of clothing, body armor, or other piece of gear.
The bulky protrusion of the related art sight also causes a firearm in which it is mounted to be less covert. The related art sight causes an irregular point outside of the firearm profile that sticks out and is more obvious as a threat. This would be undesirable in a concealed carry situation when the protrusion causes an unnatural and peculiar shaped bulge in the user's clothing that would be more noticeable.
The protrusion of the sight may also cause discomfort by digging into the body during certain body movements of someone wearing a handgun in either an open holstered or concealed carry situation.
Also, as shown in FIG. 2B, the reflective sight replaces a conventional mechanical sight used with a handgun. If the light source battery dies or the light system fails, the sight is rendered useless, and there is no backup sighting system on a handgun.
Non-Patent Literature of Hera (www.thefirearmsblog.com/blog/2010/04/26/hera-arms-cqs-foldable-reflex-sight) (“Hera product”) shows a flip-up reflective or “red dot” sight used with a rifle disclosed in a firearms blog dated 2010. One image of the Hera product shows the flip-up reflective sight in a closed position, and another image shows the flip-up reflective sight in an open position. The Hera product has a spring loaded lens or optic that is retractable and includes a latch that releases the lens from the closed configuration into the open configuration.
As shown, the Hera product is mounted on a rail of a rifle and is low profile with respect to other related-art reflex sights. However, when deployed, the lens is susceptible to being broken or damaged by impact or abrasion. The lens is not protected at all in the open or closed configurations. Also, there is no disclosure of the Hera product being used with or mounted on a handgun.